Heretical musings on religion and culture from a literary scholar
This summer I had the rare experience of sitting around and reading great books in a log cabin by log Tahoe (unlike Thoreau, I didn't build it with my hands). One of the books I enjoyed was "A Brain Wider than the Sky" by Andrew Levy. As a migraine sufferer myself, I was looking for confirmation (which I found) that many famous writers and artistic geniuses suffered from migraines, and that in fact the pain, ...
"Penn Jillette is a twenty-first-century Lord of Misrule: big, boisterously anarchic, funny, Rabelaisian, impossible and unique. There isn't--couldn't be--better not be--anybody like him." --RICHARD DAWKINS, bestselling author of The Greatest Show on Earth and The God Delusion So begins the hype over Penn Jillette's new book "God, no! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales." I just saw Penn on a TV interview and the kindle version of his book will be delivered ...
Danielle Tumminio, the Author of "God and Harry Potter at Yale" has posted an article at Huffingtonpost.com about Harry Potter and Christianity. I'm jealous, because the article is basically a timely tease for her book - and I'd love my own Huffpost article but haven't figured out how to exploit the system for self-promotion. (With the release of Deathly Hallows 2 next week, I think a lot of people will be searching for more info ...
As a theology student/ex-Christian I'm practically required to watch movies about exorcisms, God, Satan, and Christianity. And usually they suck. So it was refreshing to watch "The Rite" (2011) and be entertained. The Rite is a brilliantly complex movie, with stunning special effects, moments of panic and macabre, and of course, world-class acting (Anthony Hopkins , Colin O'Donoghue , Alice Braga). That said, there are certain pitfalls. The plot revolves around an American seminary student, who joined priest-training ...
ABSTRACT: Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost (1667), was originally interpreted as in line with traditional Christian themes; a moral piece of literature with the final conclusion that Satan (and man) must submit to the absolute authority of God. Near the end of the 18th century, William Blake challenged this view, relating Milton’s personification of Satan to Prometheus as a creature of nobility, righteously seeking justice and freedom. Later humanists followed Blake in claiming that Milton, ...
On a church billboard near my parents' house in Oregon I saw this sign: "People use Duct Tape to fix everything. God used nails." I guffawed immediately - but then became sober as its many meanings sank in. God used nails? Ok - maybe if we accept that Jesus Christ had to die in sacrifice for the sins of the world... did it have to be so painful? Was morbid, bleeding, ripping-of-flesh suffering required? Was it the ...
If you're interested in religious mythology, astrological symbolism, or supernatural folklore, grab my book Gods of Myth and Man. You can go buy it on Amazon.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Be Social